Welcome to Bimmerfest -- The #1 Online Community for BMW related information! Please enjoy the discussion forums below and share your experiences with the 200,000 current, new and past BMW owners. The forums are broken out by car model and into other special interest sections such as BMW European Delivery and a special forum to voice your questions to the many BMW dealers on the site to assist our members!

E36 (1991 - 1999) The E36 chassis 3-Series BMW was a huge hit among driving enthusiasts from the first moment the car hit the pavement. The E36 won numerous awards over the years it was produced and is still a favorite of many BMW enthusiasts to this day! -- View the E36 Wiki

Hey, gotta tell you i love the E36 body style! it's classier than any model since! that's one fine looking car - at least in the coupe or convertible. My first BMW was a used '96 318is - never had a problem with it. then i couldn't pass up the deal of a lifetime. for $20K, i bought one of the last E36s made - 1999 - same year they started building the E46. bought it (convertible) from my wife's 75-year old uncle who had it for 4 yrs - and put just 6000 miles on it and kept it in the garage! obviously, my first concern was that seals might be brittle and some things may need replacing but everything was OK. however, i did nearly shed a tear when i saw some deep scratches practically thru the clear coat on the hood and asked him about them - he had taken an SOS pad to it to remove some dried on bugs! couldn't buff them out so they're still there but not that noticeable unless you look close; silver paint hides them pretty well. but hey, i basically had a new car! popped for a hard top and some summer wheels as well. i now have 72,000 miles on it and have had no problems at all - but i do maintain it. only major item in the last 5 years i've had it has been to replace worn rotors a few months ago, but that's it.

Agreed on the door paneling. The week after I got mine it I couldn't even get out the driver's side door because all the clips had broken and I couldn't engage the gear in the panel. Dealership fixed it for free, had no problems since with the exception of it being generally loose and the handle rivet falling off every other day

wow i just turned it my o6 lease car..after all that posted knowed problem's. i better get a toyota. i really like this 96 328ci conv 82k. but??????it it worth it..??????? you have created dougt.
bob

So did you end up going with the BMW? Didn't mention earlier, but I just switched from Toyota to BMW. If you care about performance and elegance of the lines and overall manufacture, go with the bimmer. Toyotas are still great, hold a place in my heart, but lets face it -- they have just as many issues, and to me the pro's don't really outweigh the con's when deciding btwn a 'Yota and a BMW.

Quote:

Originally Posted by e36unleashed

How come this issue is not on the list?

- Your door panels will start bubbling, plastic rivets will go bad, it is just a matter of time when next time you try to close your door, the whole panel will come right off.

+1. Pain in the rear. Ulcer-inducer. But fixable! Not a major failure, like "prone to spontaneously combust." That would worry me.

Reading this thread is such a deterrent to buying a BMW!! Everyone I know has always thought of Bimmers as being the epitemy of well manufactured, reliable cars.... Maybe they just like Australia's climate more

Reading this thread is such a deterrent to buying a BMW!! Everyone I know has always thought of Bimmers as being the epitemy of well manufactured, reliable cars.... Maybe they just like Australia's climate more

All cars have issues and with as many people as are on this forum, we are bound to come up with just about every issue the cars have. Also, remember these cars are between 9 and 18 years old now. They are still the ultimate driving machine, yet there are things that need attention.

BTW, I love my car and always will. I'd rather fix my BMW that drive anything new from Ford, GM, or Dodge...

haha, im on my first e36, and yea, you put alot of money into it, but you just cant help it, just an fyi, never ever add up all your receipts, you'll want to shoot yourself, and yea, my orig pump lasted 104k but now the starter is going, so is the cvv, already did the driveshaft, yea, you can say i love my car lol